After being threatened by one of the largest mining companies in the world, the Dongria Kondh hill tribe of eastern India won a major victory — thanks in part to many of you. British Company Vedanta Resources made plans to mine bauxite on the sacred hills of the Dongria Kondh tribe, but an enormous amount of support stopped them.
Tribe members were devastated by the thought of this space — which the tribe relies on for their livelihood — being destroyed. Luckily, Survival International partnered up with Care2 to create a petition to stop the mining and preserve the tribe’s homeland. The petition garnered nearly 10,000 signatures — enough to succeed in the fight against the huge mining company.
The tribe, 8,000 members strong, lacks education and suffered an increased amount of violence during this fight, but did not let these barriers stand in their way of a victory. The Dongria Kondh’s continued fighting until they were finally able to block Vedanta’s mining plans. Although it was not easy, their dedication — along with the help and support of Care2 members, activists and even celebrities — made this victory possible.
Thank you to all Care2 members who signed the petition. Your actions are making a difference in the lives of people around the world.
photo credit: Creative Commons. Steve Punter.
I'm a member of Survival International and their website offers form letters and e-mails which can be completed quickly and sent or mailed to various governmets about the rights of indigenous peoples across the globe. There have been some major successes, but Survival International's servers were targeted in November causiing the website to be unavailable for a time. So there are always vested interests looking to silence the voices and appeals of indigenous peoples. Please visit www.survivalinternational.org and take their recommended action for at least one tribe or indigenous group.
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